The button is small, hidden in a pinhole on the router's body, and it is often the first suggestion on any forum when someone asks a question. "Just reset it."
Sometimes that is the answer. But there is one consequence rarely mentioned, and on a fibre subscription that consequence can mean no internet until a technician arrives.
Restart and reset are not the same thing
| Restart | Reset | |
|---|---|---|
| How | Unplug, plug back in | Hold the reset button 10–15 seconds |
| Settings | Kept intact | All lost |
| Wi-Fi name and password | Kept | Back to defaults |
| Configuration from the technician | Kept | Lost |
| Time to recover | Two minutes | Possibly days, if a technician is needed |
Both are called by the same word in everyday conversation, and that is the source of a great deal of regret.
Three things worth trying first
Most complaints that end in a reset are actually resolved without one.
An ordinary restart
Unplug from the mains, wait two minutes, plug back in. This resolves most temporary faults without erasing anything.
Check the indicator lights
If the LOS light is red, the problem is on the fibre path and a reset will not help at all. What they mean is explained in the guide to router indicator lights.
Confirm it is not a single-device problem
If only one laptop misbehaves while everything else is fine, the router is not the cause, guide to Wi-Fi problems on one device.
When a reset genuinely is the answer
- You forgot the admin password and there is no other way into the settings.
- A second-hand router still holding the previous owner's configuration.
- The settings are in a mess after much experimentation, and you want to start clean.
- You are selling or giving it away: so your Wi-Fi password and device records do not change hands with it.
For a router supplied with your subscription, call the provider first. Some lock the connection configuration so that only a technician can re-enter it. A phone call is far cheaper than waiting for a visit.
Write things down before pressing
Five minutes here saves hours afterwards:
- The current Wi-Fi name and password. If you reuse them, every device in the house reconnects automatically instead of being re-entered one by one. How to view them is in the guide to viewing saved Wi-Fi passwords.
- The connection details from your provider. The PPPoE username and password if there is one, usually written on the installation paperwork.
- Any settings you changed. Fixed IP addresses for a printer, port forwarding rules, or a list of blocked devices.
- Screenshots of the settings pages. The fastest way to record everything at once.
Performing the reset
- Leave the router powered on.
- Find the small pinhole marked Reset on the back or underneath.
- Press it with a paperclip and hold for ten to fifteen seconds.
- Release when all the lights flash together or go out at once.
- Wait two to three minutes for the router to come back up fully.
Holding it too briefly only produces an ordinary restart. If the old settings are still there afterwards, repeat with a longer hold.
After the reset
The router returns to the default network name and password printed on the sticker on its body. Connect a laptop or phone to that network, then open its settings page, usually at 192.168.1.1, and how to find it is explained in the guide to local IPs and DHCP.
What to do, in order:
- Re-enter the connection details from your provider if required.
- Restore the Wi-Fi name and password exactly as before, so household devices reconnect on their own.
- Change the admin password from its default, the most commonly forgotten step, even though each brand's default combination circulates openly.
- Turn off WPS and remote access, as explained in the guide to securing a home router.
- Reapply your custom settings: fixed addresses for the printer, the guest network, and any other rules you noted down.
If the problem persists once everything is restored, the cause was never the configuration. The next order of checks is in the guide to not being able to connect to Wi-Fi.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between restart and reset?
A restart simply powers the device off and on, and every setting survives. A reset returns the device to the state it left the factory in, the Wi-Fi name, the password, and all configuration are gone. The two get confused constantly in conversation.
Will the internet work immediately after a reset?
Not necessarily. On fibre and DSL subscriptions there is connection configuration entered by the technician at installation, usually a PPPoE username and password. A reset erases that too, and without it the modem cannot connect.
How long must the reset button be held?
Generally ten to fifteen seconds, until the lights flash together. Holding it too briefly only causes an ordinary restart, which is why many people think the reset failed.
Does a reset erase my internet browsing history?
A reset erases records stored on the router, such as the list of devices that have connected. History recorded on the provider's side is entirely unaffected.
